The international community has an important role to play in helping China The issue which should really be addressed is whether the legal system in China is adequate. Does the legal process have the necessary safeguards, are the rights of the defendant looked after, are the judges independent, is the rule of law adhered to? The cases where the death penalty is used should be the top priority as that is the most severe penalty.

The Supreme People’s Court has undeniably been playing a greater role recently, which is an important step. However, it needs support. Exact statistics on the numbers of executions per year are still not available. Why is this?

The international community is in a better position to assess whether the legal process is adequate than the citizens of China and Britain and the international community should use this opportunity to monitor China’s progress and ensure that true progress is being made, not mere tokenism. This execution has highlighted the necessity to monitor China’s trial process as it was unclear whether the suffered mental disability correctly considered.

A paper was published by the Supreme People’s Court entitled the ‘Second Five Year Reform Program for the People’s Courts (2004-2008) in 2005 containing many goals for reform. With the awareness of the international community raised due to the recent execution, China may be subjected to greater international scrutiny and be held more accountable for achieving those goals that it would have been prior to this execution.

The concept of human rights has developed across the world in recognition of the fact that governments do not always protect citizens which they apparently serve. The US Bill of Rights was created to avoid tyranny and the European Convention on Human Rights was born out of the atrocities of World War II. It is not, therefore, only Britain who believes that individuals should be treated in a certain way in order to achieve justice and although the actual mechanics of trials may differ in countries across the world concepts such as the rule of law are widely recognised in the West. Sometimes it is necessary for other countries, bodies or supranational organisations to step-in in order to protect citizens of other countries.

It is possible that prior to a British citizen being executed the West had not been particularly concerned with the Chinese legal system, but not it has been altered to the situation it is perfectly legitimate to use that as a catalyst for focusing on execution in China, what ever the nationality of the person so sentenced.

Whilst culturally China might have a different view on punishment that view should still be re-examined to establish if the view is based on false premises. The Cultural Revolution of 1966-1976 may have resulted in the ‘people’s will’, it would, however, be wrong to conclude from that that no changes to the legal system should ever be made again. Lessons will have been learnt from that experience about what to do and what not to do. Moreover, popular will should not necessarily be the only factor to take into account. What must instead be created is a system which is fair and transparent in its use of the death penalty which due to it’s transparency can also be acceptable to the general population. It would be wrong for the whole of China to be held ransom.

Further the Chinese legal system is arguably less developed that that of other countries and it is the duty of other countries to share knowledge and experience in order to help China develop its legal system and assist the Supreme People’s Court in its final approval on death penalties.

Crimes against humanity surpass borders/national-sovereignty.

China always gets away with all kinds of atrocities: Eating live-monkey-brains, devouring/hunting all sorts of endangered species, persecuting Uighurs(wee-gurs) on the basis of religion,persecuting monks, being the biggest polluter in the world etcetera.

It is about time somebody/Britain set China straight.